Page 42 - index

2021 ‫מועד סתיו‬ - 41 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) In 1637, French mathematician Pierre de Fermat wrote a simple mathematical
statement in the margin of his copy of Diophantus's Arithmetica, an ancient Greek text
on mathematics. Alongside it he scribbled, "I have discovered a truly marvelous proof
of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." Though his proof has

(5) never been found, the statement known as Fermat's Last Theorem has intrigued
generations of mathematicians.

Despite the simplicity of the theorem – and Fermat's claim of proof – the world's
best mathematical minds labored in vain for over 350 years to verify it. Prizes were
offered and many proofs were presented, all of them flawed. Finally, in 1993, British

(10) mathematician Andrew Wiles announced that he had formulated a correct proof.

Wiles' assertion was subsequently confirmed, stunning the mathematical world.
His proof, which is 129 pages long, is extremely complex and relies on modern

mathematical techniques unknown to Fermat. Wiles had worked on it in total
secrecy for seven years, developing original tools along the way. So, whilst Fermat's
(15) theorem has finally been proven, the question still remains: what was the proof that

Fermat could not fit in the margin of his book, and was it correct?

Questions

18. An appropriate title for this text would be -

(1) The Life and Works of Pierre de Fermat
(2) The Proving of Fermat's Last Theorem
(3) A History of Mathematics from Fermat to Wiles
(4) The Most Challenging Mathematical Problem of the 17th Century

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬
.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬